Roof construction

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a method of constructing a roof to provide a surface which may be employed as a play, recreation or high traffic area.

United States Patent Klein 1 July 1, 1975 [5 ROOF CONSTRUCTION 3,411,25611/1968 BBS! 161 /38 x 3,7 3,614 lO I973 H d 52 408 [76} Inventor: PaulP. Klein, 24 Van Meter Fens, 6 y e I New Rochelle, NY. 10804 OTHERPUBLICATIONS [22] Filed: July 19, 1973 Trocal Roofing bulletin publishedby Dynamit Nobel Aktiengesellschaft Plastic Sales Division West 21 A l.N 380,864 1 1 pp 0 Germany 1969. Publication N6. 31/770 0B8. 1969,

[52] US. Cl. 255/341008 ;452287130292; Primary Examiner wimam R Schulz[51] Int. Cl B32b 3/14 [58] Field of Search .1 l6l/36, 38, 21, I59, 160,57 B TR T l6]/l6l;52/404, 409, 408, 199,515, 246

This invention relates to a method of constructing a [56] ReierencesCited roof to provide a surface which may be employed as a UNITED STATESPATENTS play, recreation or high traffic area.

3,l03.042 9/1963 Martin 52/409 4 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure ROOFCONSTRUCTION This invention relates to and has as its objective a novelroof construction, and more particularly insulated roofs and methods fortheir construction.

In the past, although insulated roof constructions have beensuccessfully employed in various roof structures, they have sufferedfrom the inability of sustaining active and continuous foot traffic.Thus, although the methods and constructions heretofore employed haveprovided adequate insulation and water proofing, the thus constructedroof themselves have not been em ployable for any other useful purposes.In densely populated urban areas, where space is at a premium, and theneed for open play or recreation areas, which are subjected to constantand active foot traffic, is especially acute, these roof areas have bytheir nature of construction been heretofore unavailable for use forsuch purposes. One type of insulated roof construction heretoforeemployed, and which is emminently unsuitable for the purposes of thisinvention, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,411,256.

One of the objects of this invention is the provision of an insulatedroof construction which is capable of being employed as a play orrecreation area, and which may be subjected to constant and active foottraffic exposure without suffering any disadvantageous effect to eitherits insulating or water proof properties.

A further object of this invention is the provision of an adequate playor recreation area which may be easily and economically constructed andutilized.

Further features and advantages of the present invention will becomemore apparent from a study of the following specifications and to thesaid drawings to which it refers. More particularly, in reference to thesaid drawings, wherein FlG. l is a cross-section of the roofconstruction, generally in accordance with the present invention.

Referring to the figures setting forth the preferred embodiment of theinvention, by characters of refer ence, the novel roof construction ofthis invention 17, comprises in cooperative combination. a roof deck,11. The roof deck 11, has an upper surface 18, to which is secured awater impermeable membrane, 12. The lower surface of the roof deck, ll,may be supported by various means, for example, support beams, 10. Thespecific means which may be employed to support the roof deck, 1], maybe any means which are known to and acceptable to the worker skilled inthe art, for example, vertical pillars, reinforced concrete supports,and the like, all without detracting from the successful practice of theinstant invention, To the surface of the water impermeable membrane, 12,is applied and disposed a thermal insulating layer, 13. A ballast layer,14, is then uniformly disposed on the upper surface, 20, of theinsulating layer, 13. A protective, substantially water impermeablelayer 15, which is susceptible to accept constant and active foottraffic on its upper sur face, 16, is then adhered in a uniform mannerto the upper surface, 2], of said ballast layer, 14.

More particularly, the materials and the elements which may be employedin the preparation of the novel roof construction of this invention, maybe varied in accordance with the requirements of the particular needs ofthe specific construction in connection with which the skilled workerdesires to practice the instant invention. Thus, the roof deck or roofsupport means which may be employed in the novel roof construction ofthis invention includes such materials as steel, wood, concrete andprecast planks, or a combination thereof, and other like materials. Theroof deck, 11, may be supported by such means as may be convenient andmay be firmly and permanently affixed thereto by such means as areusually and generally employed for such purposes, such as nails, bolts,screws, welding and other like means.

The water impermeable membrane, 12, may comprise or consist ofa varietyof water impermeable materials which are known in the art to beemployable for such purposes. Examples of the water impermeable membranematerials so employable include conventional asphaltic and bituminouscompositions employed for roofing as well as laminates of the bituminousmaterials with fibrous products such as roofing felt employing organicand inorganic fibers. In addition, it has been found that various liquidtype water impermeable membranes may also be employed, for example,rubberized asphalts, coal tar and synthetic resinous polymericcompositions, such polysulfides or polyurethanes, and such sheetwaterproofing membrane materials as polyvinyl, butyl, neoprene and thelike. Examples of some of these water impermeable membrane compositionsare those which are commercially available under such trade names as,4ll-M and 4l1-H," from the Thiokol Chemical Company; Vulkem-20l, fromthe Master Mechanics Corporation; and Keeper-Cote," from the KeeperChemical Company. ln certain applications, the water impermeablemembrane, 12, may be applied in alternating layers to provide a waterimpermeable membrane of any desired thickness and mechanical strength.ln other in stances, the water impermeable membrane, 12, can be formedfrom the liquid type membrane materials heretofore mentioned, by uniformapplication thereof in the desired thickness, over the upper surface,18, of the roof deck, 11. The synthetic sheet type water impermeablemembrane material can be adhered to the upper surface, 18, of the roofdeck, 11, with a suitable adhesive and one or more layers of suchmaterial may be employed to obtain a resultant membrane of suitablethickness.

The thermal insulating layer, 13, is preferably a closed cellularmaterial which may be substantially water impermeable. Particularlypreferred in the practice of this invention are cellular plastic foamsof a closed cell configuration, including such materials as foam glass,styrene acrylonitrile copolymer foams, sty rene methacrylate copolymerfoams, polyvinyl chloride foams, polyethylene foams, polyurethane foamsand other like water impermeable materials available in cellular foamforms which are well known to the skilled worker in the art. The thermalinsulating layer, 13, is applied to the upper surface, 19, of the waterimpermeable membrane, 12, usually in a thickness of at least one andpreferrably two or more inches; said thermal insulating material havinga density of about 1.5 to 3.0 pounds per cubic foot. As a practicalnecessity, the thermal insulating material is applied over said waterimpermeable membrane, 12, in pre-cut blocks, planks or sheets. Thethermal insulating layer, 13, may be adhered to the upper surface, 19,ofthe water impermeable membrane, 12, by the use of various adhesivecompositions which are known to be employable for such purposes.

The ballast layer, 14, may be comprised of a multitude of precutconcrete or cementitious blocks or paving squares. Most preferrably, inthe practice of this invention, it is desired to employ light weightconcrete aggregate blocks or paving squares. such as those which arecommercially available under the trade name, Solite," from the SoliteCorporation. The ballast layer, 14, comprised of the multitude ofblocks, is uniformly dry-applied to the upper surface, 20, of thethermal insulating layer, 13, by butting the edges of said blocksagainst each other, and staggering the joints thereof, care being takento assure that the entire surface of the said thermal insulating layer,13, is covered by the ballast layer, 14. The ballast layer, 14, should,in the successful practice of the instant invention, pro vide sufficientweight of at least 5 and preferably at least 8, and most preferablyabout 12 pounds per square foot of surface of the thermal insulatinglayer, 13, to which the ballast layer, 14, is applied. The ballastlayer, 14, is employed in the practice of this invention for thepurposes of protecting the thermal insulation layer, 13, in the presenceof constant and active foot traffic or work activity on the roof wearingsurface member, 16; the prevention of the floatation, shifting ormovement of the thermal insulation layer, 13, in the event of invasionof water into or below the thermal insulation layer, 13; and theprovision of a buffer layer of uniform thickness capable of providingaccess to re stricted areas of the roof surface without the necessity ofextensive repair or excavation work, such as is necessary where a cementlayer or concrete topping is employed. The ease of repairing areas ofthe roof construction of this invention by the employment of theparticulate ballast layer, 14, is a very advantageous attribute of theinstant invention. In the event that repairs have to be made, it is arelatively simple task to merely cut through the roof wearing surfacemember, 16, remove the dryapplicd particulate blocks of the ballastlayer, 14, thereunder and thus have direct access to the repair areawithout the necessity of extensive excavation procedures.

Over the ballast layer, 14, the successful practice of this inventionrequires the application of a substantially water impermeable andnon-absorbent roof wearing surface member, 16, which is capable ofwithstanding constant and active foot traffic and activity, The roofwearing surface member, 16, in addition to being sub stantially waterimpermeable must be substantially nonabsorbent for water. Furthermore,the roof wearing surface member, 16, must possess certain propertieswhich permit its use in the practice of this invention.

The novel roof construction of this invention pro vides a unique roofsurfacing construction which operates as a total system which, inaddition to providing the structure to which this system is applied witha sound water proof and thermal insulation system, also provides thestructure with a roof surface area which is capable of sustainingconstant and active foot traffic. Especially of interest in theutilization of this invention is the creation of roof surfaces which arecapable of being employed as play or recreation areas in popul urbanareas. Examples of the play or recreation poses to which this inventionmay be put contcmp the conduct of such activities as sports activities,in as tennis. volley ball, basketball, truck events. at: contiguous toswimming pools. and the like; and childrens play activities, forexample, playground activitill ties and games engaged in by childrenespecially as an integral part of childrens day care centers in urbanareas. In view of the uses to which this invention are contemplated tobe employed, it has been found to be essential for its successfulpractice that the novel roof construction hereof be constructed andemployed as a total and self contained system, each integral elementthereof interacting and cooperating with the other elements thereof.Thus, the roof wearing surface member, 16, employed herein must providea surface suitable for withstanding the constant and active trafficcontemplated; rnust provide a wearing surface which is resilient andsoft enough to prevent injury to the persons employing the area in theevent of falls; must be capable of providing a smooth and relativelyuniform surface as required in the activities to be engaged in thereon;must be capable of withstanding wide temperature and humidity variationsto avoid swelling or buckling of the roof surface; must be of such apermanent nature as to prevent easy removal of the underlying materialsemployed in connection with the construction hereof; and must be of sucha nature as to substantially prevent seepage of moisture below the exterior surface of the roof construction of the instant invention.

[t has now been found that certain materials are emminently satisfactoryfor employment as the roof wearing surface member, 16, in the successfulpractice of this invention. Among the materials which have been found tobe satisfactory in connection herewith, may be included such materialsas neoprene or latex based emulsions such as those commerciallyavailable under the trade name, Elastaturf. from the Borden ChemicalCompany; urethane based surfacing compositions, such as thosecommercially available under the trade names, Tartan and Weatherdeck,"from the 3M Company; rubberized deck surfacing materials commerciallyavailable from the Chevron Asphalt Company under the trade name Ci-29";polymeric surfacing materials, such as polyvinyl, for example, polyvinylcommercially available from the Monsanto Chemical Company under thetrade name, Astroturf," polyethylene and other like materials, dependingon the character and quality of the surface desired It has been foundthat satisfactory results are generally obtained when the roof wearingsurface member, 16, is applied to the upper surface, 21, of the ballastmember, 14, in a thickness of about one-quarter inch or more, thethickness depending upon the nature of the surface required and the usesto which it is to be put, However, for most purposes contemplated by thepractice of this invention it has been found that application of theroof wearing surface in a thickness of from one-quarter to one-half inchprovides very satisfactory resultsv The upper traffic bearing surface ofthe roof wearing surface member, 16, should be uniform and level to theextent required by the end use to which the roof construction of thisinvention is to be put,

In addition to the foregoing embodiment, the instant invention may alsobe satisfactorily practiced by the use of a single combined thermallyinsulated and ballast alt-er in lieu ofthe individual insulation member,13,

o t he ballast member, 14. It has been found that the in st: .ventionmay be satisfactorily practiced by employing combination insulatedconcrete blocks or plan ks such as those commercially available underthe trade names, *Doxplank" and "lnsulrock" from the Flintrote Company,in substitution of the thermal insulation member, 13, and ballastmember. 14, without detracting from the satisfactory results obtainedherewith.

Further to the foregoing, the instant invention may also besatisfactorily practiced with a combined ballast member and roof wearingsurface member in substitution for the individual ballast and wearingsurface members. Thus, where a plastic encased ballast member, havingpre-applied to the upper surface thereof a roof wearing surface materialof the type contemplated herein, and where said plastic encased ballastmembers have an interlocking joining means whereby the joined uppersurface is rendered substantially water impermeable, the satisfactorypractice of the instant invention may still be had.

From the foregoing, it will be understood that the embodiments of thepresent invention described above are well suited to provide theadvantages set forth, and since many possible embodiments may be made ofthe various features of this invention and as the construction hereindescribed may be varied in various parts. all without departing from thescope of the invention, it is to be understood that all matterhereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to beinterpreted as illustrative and that in certain instances some of thefeatures of the invention may be used without a corresponding use ofother features all without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A roof construction capable of withstanding constant and active foottraffic, which comprises, in combination:

a. A roof deck;

b. A water impermeable membrane affixed to the upper surface of saidroof deck;

c. A thermal insulating member disposed on the upper surface of saidwater impermeable membrane;

cl. A ballast member comprised of a multitude of precut concrete orcementitious blocks or paving squares disposed on the upper surface ofsaid thermal insulating member; and

e. A substantially water impermeable and nonabsorbent wearing surfacemember affixed on the upper surface of said ballast member. to provide arelatively smooth. resilient and uniform upper surface to said wearingsurface member.

2. The roof construction of claim I, wherein the ballast member iscomprised of a multitude of concrete blocks having a density of at least5 pounds per square foot.

3. The roof construction of claim 1, wherein the wearing surface memberis affixed on the upper surface of the said ballast member in athickness of about onequarter inch.

4. The roof construction of claim 1, wherein the thermal insulatingmember is a plastic cellular foam material.

1. A ROOF CONSTRUCTION CAPABLE OF WITHSTANDING CONSTANT AND ACTIVE FOOTTRAFFIC, WHICH COMPRISES, IN COMBINATION: A. A ROOF DECK, B. A WATERIMPERMEABLE MEMBRANE AFFIXED TO THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID ROOF DECK, C.A THERMAL INSULATING MEMBER DISPOSED ON THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID WATERIMPERMEABLE MEMBRANE, D. A BALLAST MEMBER COMPRISED OF A MULTITUDE OFPRECUT CONCRETE OR CEMENTITIOUS BLOCKS OR PAVING SQUARES DISPOSED ON THEUPPER SURFACE OF SAID THERMAL INSULATING MEMBER, AND E. A SUBSTANTIALLYWATER IMPERMEABLE AND NON-ABSORBENT WEARING SURFACE AFFIXED ON THE UPPERSURFACE OF SAID BALLAST MEMBER, TO PROVIDE A RELATIVELY SMOOTH,RESILIENT AND UNIFORM UPPER SURFACE TO SAID WEARING SURFACE MEMBER. 2.The roof construction of claim 1, wherein the ballast member iscomprised of a multitude of concrete blocks having a density of at least5 pounds per square foot.
 3. The roof construction of claim 1, whereinthe wearing surface member is affixed on the upper surface of the saidballast member in a thickness of about one-quarter inch.
 4. The roofconstruction of claim 1, wherein the thermal insulating member is aplastic cellular foam material.